My bug finally moves to cables. I have not upgraded my cables for over 5 yrs. I am using a pair of Audioquest Vipper between Oppo 105 and C-J 17LS2. The speaker cables between ARC VT100 and B&W 805s are hefty Monster M series (can't remember the number) that I bought over 10 yrs ago. All other cables are cheap less than $20. I am looking for upgrade to maximize the potential of my gears. Here is my list of components:

Been using Blue Jeans cable for IC and speaker for some time and am quite happy with what I'm hearing. As far as cost they were quite inexpensive but far better than my Transparent IC and Monster Speaker cable which BJ cable replaced. Currently seeking a cable upgrade myself and have some on order to audition. I'll post my opinion of them after break in and critical listening.

I moved to Zu IC cables from Transparent and Audioquest. They sound very clean and don't cost too much- especially if you buy some of their older models on Ebay(direct from Zu).I still use current model Transparent Plus for speaker cables. They sound much better than previous incarnations.

Considering our systems almost match, mine is Krell Showcase 7, Krell Kav3250 amp and B&W 803D2 I have auditioned a speaker cable very recent which really are synergetic with the Krell and B&W brand. Its the best I've tried yet and its not budget breaking and I'm keeping it. See my post Solid versus stranded speaker cable.

IC's are all BJ XLR and digital and Speaker is JW Audio Cryo Nova for now. Looking into Kimber, Audioquest Oak, Alpha core and Nordost. Transparents I'd like but are way out of my league and budget. I'd have to hock my house to afford them.

My thoughts on speaker wires: 100 watt amp and smaller, go with a #14 AWG OFC 99.9 copper. 100-200 watt, go with a #12 AWG. There are numerous articles across the web for wire size. Had I dropped a 100K on my setup and had change to spare, I'd choose Kaplan. I had one of his cables with my B&W 803's / Krell, decent cables, of course I bought them second hand.

One of the reasons I have Audioquest Colorado interconnects for my SACD player is the Teflon Tube dielectric. It appears as an open teflon tube with the conductor inside surrounded by the air contained within the tube. The other great thing about this cable is the PSC+(perfect surface conductor) copper. The + refers to the extreme purity of the copper within the tube dielectric.

The one eternal truth of this hobby is that none of us will ever know everything about it or understand all aspects of it. We are all somewhere on the learning curve. Cables are something that I have paid particular attention to over a long period of time. An yes, I still have plenty to learn.

I have now 40 ours on Clear Day double shotgun speakercable.It is an very good one, but I want more boddy and bass. To me it is a little lean. Or is 40 ours not enough for the Shotgun?Is it also posseble to use the double shotgun 2x (two runs)Thanks, mar10

@stringreen .....I seriously doubt hifiman5 based his opinion totally on JRs advice. It appears he has done lots of leg work to get to where he is now. Look at his system, synergy up the yin yang. Regards........

carmenc.....all I did was suggest ClearDay cables, because they work so well for ME, and I am a nice guy. Actually all cables sound different connected to different gear. No one cable recommendation can bring Nirvana. Clear Day has a no charge audition to the purchaser.....the buyer can send them back or he can make a pair... up to you. JR doesn't like silver, yet silver works for me....and so it goes....

Carmenc.....I do use Clear Day...double shotgun. All my electronics are Ayre with Vandy 5A. Ayre highly recommended Cardas ....I tried every permutation of Cardas..from the cheap to the most expensive awful...., Purist, Audioquest, Nordost, Wireworld, etc, etc....nothing working FOR ME as well as Clear Day. If you don't like it you can always send it back with no charge.

I've tried JW audio (really good for the price), morrow, audio arts, and clear day. All were different shades of good and wouldn't hesitate recommending a trial with any of them. I'm using clear day double shotguns right now and they are great, also using audio art ic3se cables (both dh labs and the xhadows - I like the dh labs slightly warmer nature more) and am very happy with them. Both rob (Audioart) and Paul (clear day) are so easy to deal with. As others have said it's very system dependent but these are definitely worth a try.

@stringreen thanks for the advice. I have Tannoy's and am using AQ speaker cables. They're nice as they seem pretty darn nuetral and kind of get out of the way, but I was advised to look at Kimber, Wireworld or Audience. I'm told those are more revealing. Yes, Cardas is a mixed bag so to speak. They are quite component specific I've found. They can sound pretty awesome or leave you scratching your head. Vandys like AQ yet you like the Clear Day better? Revealing yet smooth?

I'm with you. I think JohnnyR is great. When I am able, my larger system will consist of Vandersteen and either Belles or Ayre. Take care. Regards.......

@audioconnection The shocker for me with Audioquest dbs was when I bought 12 new batteries for my pair of Colorado interconnects. Good lord!!! That gave me the full dbs effect. The sound opened up immediately. The soundscape had greater height, width and depth. Someone could switch between old and new batteries on me in a blind test and I would score 100% and I don't say that lightly. I have been involved in such trials in the past and did not always fair well. The difference in hearing the full dbs effect was ear-opening to say the least.